Forced disarmament of Somalia!

[Michael Fisher]

Ethiopia has now twice crushed monopolies of force that have attempted to destroy Somalia's freedom. This is not meant to glorify the foreign interventionism, but Somalia would not be free without it. This time, however, Ethiopia crushed the Islamic Courts Union today and immediately warned it will forcibly disarm Somalia's people beginning in three days.

This is dire news for the world's only existing anarchy. If this effort succeeds, then Somalia's decade and a half of true freedom is officially over, and there will not be one single free land on the entire face of the Earth for people to escape to, learn from, or research.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-clanguns3jan03,0,779951.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Somali disarmament begins slowly
By Edmund Sanders, Times Staff Writer
4:19 PM PST, January 2, 2007

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- A government-mandated disarmament program here got under way Tuesday without much of a bang.

At one designated weapons drop-off point in the Somali capital, bored-looking Ethiopian soldiers mulled about with little to do. A second collection site, nestled atop a bluff overlooking the Indian Ocean, closed early because "no one showed up," according to a Somali government soldier.

The disarmament program is the first major test of Somalia's transitional government since its troops and Ethiopian allies defeated Islamic fighters and seized control of this capital, a city so awash with guns that most government officials were previously afraid to even visit.

Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi on Monday set a three-day deadline for gun collection, threatening to use force after that to pacify the city.

But if Tuesday's turnout was any indication, the government is facing a steep challenge in convincing Mogadishu residents to part with their weapons. The campaign is also reigniting long-standing clan rivalries and distrust, which are certain to play a big part in the nation's turnaround.

Ever since the government announced the disarmament program, the streets have been abuzz with debate over whether it will succeed. Though most support disarmament in theory, those with guns call it a Catch-22 situation: The government wants to round up weapons before dispatching more soldiers in the capital, while residents don't want to give up their guns until they're assured that troops can keep the peace.

The presence of Ethiopian soldiers, who helped chase off the Islamists, only complicate the issue. The two nations have a history of warfare and many Somalis fear that the Ethiopians are attempting to occupy their country.

"I will never give my gun to the Ethiopians," said one young man, who like many did not want to be identified for fear that the government might come and take his gun. "They are the enemy."

Others cited financial considerations. Assault rifles and machine guns in Mogadishu range from several hundred dollars to several thousand, representing the largest single asset many families own. For thousands of young men, carrying a gun and working as a militia member or security guard are the only job prospects available. But the government is not offering cash in exchange for the guns.

As a result, prices for weapons at Mogadishu's gun market plummeted in recent days as gun owners rush to sell their weapons rather than give them away to the government. AK-47 assault rifles dropped from $300 to $120.

Last June, the Islamic courts became the first local authority to sharply reduce the number of arms in the Mogadishu in nearly 16 years. Rather than collecting the weapons themselves, the courts set up regional, clan-based authorities to collect guns from their fellow clansmen.

But when Islamists fled Mogadishu a week ago, they opened their weapons stockpiles to the public, once again flooding the city with guns.

The current disarmament campaign is sparking familiar clan distrust. Most residents in Mogadishu are members of the Hawiye clan, considered Somalia's largest. But many Hawiye subclans, including the subclans of several warlords and Islamist leaders, are deeply skeptical of the transitional government. They say it's unfair to disarm Mogadishu without also collecting the guns from the rest of Somalia. Hawiye fear they will become vulnerable to attacks by other clans.

"I'm keeping my gun," said a 33-year-old former Islamic court official. "They should disarm the entire country at the same time."

He and other Hawiye also complained that President Abdullahi Yusuf is a member of the Darod, another major clan based originally in the north. Darod and Hawiye began fighting over control of Mogadishu after the 1991 fall of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. In the end, many Darod were killed or driven out of their homes. Now Hawiye in Mogadishu fear Yusuf, who has spoken disparagingly about their clan in the past, will use the disarmament program to take retribution.

"He's trying to favor his own people," said the former Islamic court official.

Clan experts say the government must first demonstrate that it is neutral before clan rivals will trust it.

"The only language the government can use to unite the clans of Somalia is to restore peace and order through justice and equality," said Sharif Mohamed Ali, an elder with the small Ashraf clan, which in the past has avoided the clan wars.

[David]

Methinks there will be some resistance to the idea.  Among the obvious pro gun and pro defence reasons, Ethiopia is a traditional enemy of Somolia.  Their fancy weapons are probably being supplied by the us gov't, but they are now in the occupation stage of their invasion.  The country with the highest gun ownership in the world, will not make the Ethiopians comfortable.    
I doubt they will hold Mogidishu, and their supply lines will be frequently attached out in the country. 

[Michael Fisher]

They did not bother with disarming anyone last time around, if I'm not mistaken. They simply wanted to avoid the creation of an anti-Ethiopian government and thus crushed monopolies of force and allowed anarchy.

Why do they care now?  ???